OMAHA, Neb. – The Omaha softball team continues Summit League play March 30-31 against South Dakota State at Westside Field at Westbrook.
The Mavericks and Jackrabbits will play a doubleheader on Friday, March 30 starting at noon and a single game on Saturday, March 31 at 11 a.m. Following Saturday's game, Omaha will honor its four seniors.
The Starting Lineup
• Omaha opened the 2018 season with 31-straight road games, including trips to Arkansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Texas and Virginia.
• The Mavericks are 12-22 overall (0-3 Summit League) after dropping a weekend series to South Dakota to start league play.
• UNO had its first two home games (Nebraska and Wichita State) postponed due to weather.
• Omaha is 77-15-1 all-time against South Dakota State, and hold an 11-4 advantage since the transition to Division I.
•
Kelly Pattison enters the weekend on a seven-game hitting streak and leads UNO with 11 multi-hit games.
• Pattison also leads the team with seven multi-RBI games.
•
Jessica Nelson and
Natalie Mostek have seven multi-hit games, while
Emily Klosterman has six.
• Earlier this season,
Emma Dargy reached base in 16-straight games.
Natalie Mostek also reached base in 10-straight games.
• Pattison (.452) and
Aubrey Hacke (.313) are the top two hitters for the Mavericks this season.
•
Sydney Hampton leads Omaha with an 8-10 record in 21 appearances (ten starts) and a 3.45 ERA.
• Omaha leads The Summit League in stolen bases (38) and times hit by a pitch (26). The Mavericks are third in hits (204), home runs (17) and RBI (106).
• Eighteen players have seen playing time so far this season, with seniors
Jessica Nelson and
Crystal Pablo; juniors
Taylor Conkling,
Demi Dobbs,
Savannah Fisher,
Sarrah Mains and
Faith Romero; and freshmen
Aubrey Hacke,
Sydney Hampton and
Halley Jones all making their first career starts.
• UNO's will have a balanced roster in 2018, featuring 10 upperclassmen along with nine underclassmen.
• In the 2018 Summit League Preseason Coaches' Poll, the Mavericks were picked to finish fifth by the league's head coaches.
• Omaha returns six letterwinners in 2018, including four position players with starting experience and one starting pitcher.
• UNO's roster features 13 newcomers, including two seniors, five juniors and six freshmen.
• Omaha plays 31-straight road games before its home-opener against Wichita State on March 20.
• UNO hosts eight home games at Westside Field at Westbrook this season.
• During the fall 2017 semester, Omaha reported a 3.30 team grade point average (GPA). Five Mavericks earned a spot on the Dean's List, including three student-athletes on the Chancellor's List.
• The Mavericks finished the 2017 season with a record of 15-30 (6-8 Summit League) and finished fifth in the league standings.
Scouting the South Dakota State Jackrabbits
SDSU enters the weekend with a 19-9 record and is currently on a five-game win streak. The Jackrabbits are coming off a doubleheader sweep of Iowa and a three-game series sweep of UMKC.
Abbey Murphy and Brittney Morse lead South Dakota State in hitting. Murphy leads the team with a .453 average and 43 hits. Morse is batting .368 with 10 doubles and 25 RBI. Ali Herdliska has a team-best five home runs.
South Dakota has used four pitchers this season with Madison Hope and Taylor Compton each making 20 appearances. Hope is 10-3 with two saves and a 3.51 ERA, while Compton is 6-6 and two saves with a 5.11 ERA.
On Deck
Omaha concludes its seven-game homestand next week when Nebraska comes to town for a single game on Tuesday, April 3. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. at Westside Field at Westbrook.
